The Prince with Chained Hands
by hoar
Summary: A one-shot written for a friend. Inspired by the "Alitaptap" legend and fic of the same name.


"Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a prince whose hands were always chained. He was trapped in a very cold room, day in and day out. You could almost say he lives in a freezer. He was very charming, and anyone can say his passion for life can easily warm up any draft in his surroundings.

There was one strange thing about this poor little prince, though.

He could not smile."

"Wait a minute, I know where this is going," beamed a nurse who happened to be listening in to the doctor who was narrating that story.

He turned around to face the nurse, whose cheeks immediately became flushed as soon as she caught a glimpse of his face. His eyes were just as mesmerising as the other charge nurses had immediately described. There was something about this young man in front of her that struck her.

No words came out of his mouth even after he parted his lips slightly, not even after a girl who seemed to be younger than 12 years old began tugging at his coat.

Right before the nurse's very eyes, the doctor with the messy black hair slowly closed his eyes, and fell to the ground.

"D-doctor?" She caught his head before it can hit the ground to secure it, and checked his circulation, airways, and breathing. All of them seemed to be alright. Maybe he just fell asleep? Thank goodness he fell knees first.

Confused, the child who was listening to the doctor's story began to cry. The young nurse slowly dragged the unconscious doctor to an unoccupied bed in the patient's room, before leaving in a hurry.

As soon as the nurse rushed out of the room, the girl, holding a stuffed panda close to her chest, walked slowly towards the doctor. Sniffing, she dropped her panda on the ground and gently nudged the doctor's shoulders, to no avail.

"You promised to tell me a story. Why did you fall asleep again?"

A faint, purple glow emanated from the girl's chest, and she slowly grew in height. Her features aged match her new size, and her clothes seemed to adjust to her body. Still wearing a patient's hospital gown, she brushed her long black hair away from her face, and wiped her tears away.

"You must be tired, Doctor. I'm sorry for bothering you with such a silly request."

She knelt over moveable steps attached to one side of the bed, and leaned closer to his face, puckering her lips to-

She heard a loud noise from the opposite side of the room.

"What is going on in here?" The door swung back shut, as the nurse from earlier dropped the tray she was holding. Glass shards littered the floor, and water had spilled all over the bread that she had brought with her.

Mortified, the patient recoiled and stood up abruptly. She had no idea how to answer the nurse. Fortunately for her, this isn't the hospital where she usually works - that one had been locked down a few days ago, thanks to a quarantine mandated by the government. It's unlikely that this nurse would recognise who she was.

"W-wait." The nurse tried to collect herself and clean the mess she inadvertently made, picking up shards and placing them in the tray.

"You... you're Doctor Tachibana, right? W-what were you doing to that doctor just now?!" She dropped the tray again, and almost injured herself by stepping on some of the shards she had not picked up. Did she just see her... try to kiss that doctor?

Dr. Tachibana seemingly shook her head, her eyes focusing between her sleeping colleague and the nurse.

"I-"

"What, do you think I did not see what you were doing? I'm telling your-"

"You can't-"

The door opened again, revealing an elderly man connected to a mobile IV drip.

"What's with all this noise? My doctor told me to get some rest, but I could not get any with this ruckus!" He was clenching his fists when he turned his attention to the woman wearing a patient gown.

"Why, I recognise you, you're that Japanese endoscopic surgeon who operated on my son!" His angered face softened into a gleeful smile, before turning into a look of concern. "Why are you a here? Can't you cure yourself?"

Tomoe rested a palm on her chest and sighed in relief, having almost mistaken the man for her father.

"I would tell you, but I don't want to enrage thedoctor for such dishonorable conduct-" Tomoe ran to the nurse to cover her mouth, and nervously smiled at the old man.

"Is that so? I believe I will be fine. I hope your son is faring well." She abruptly let go of the nurse's mouth after she felt a clamping sensation around her fingers. The nurse tried to bite her hand.

The old man's eyes had narrowed into slits as he examined the nurse, when another charge nurse took notice of him and escorted him out of Dr. Tachibana's room.

The young nurse closed the door behind her, and folded her arms across her chest.

"I have so many questions, Dr. Tachibana."

"What do you want to know?"

"Where did you go earlier? When I checked on you, some kid was here with that other doctor."

The doctor just smiled at the nurse.

"Wait a minute... were you that child? It had to be you. But how did you do THAT?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Tomoe refastened her gown and walked to the bathroom, reëmerging with a mop.

"It's not something science can explain - I still can't believe my eyes." The nurse was shaking her head, visibly confused as Tomoe mopped the floor.

"If I knew, I would have told you." The nurse raised an eyebrow hearing that from Tomoe. Just then, she could have sworn something stirred in the room.

The male doctor who was sleeping in the other patient bed had switched positions. He was audibly, but softly snoring.

"Do you like that doctor?", asked the nurse.

The only noise coming from Tomoe's direction was the mop squeaking against the floor.

"I don't blame you. He's so handsome!" The nurse cupped her cheeks with her hands, jumping up and down.

"You're making too much noise," the doctor replied in an exasperated tone as she pulled down the lever that wrung the mop dry.

"Oh, I won't pry." The nurse tried to stifle her giggles. "You seem to be fine now. I'll leave you alone to do as you please. You're all about this 'path of honour,' but it seems you're just shy about these kinds of things!"

The endoscopic surgeon-turned-patient's cheeks were flushed as she looked away.

"It's adorable. If I didn't fancy that doctor myself, I'd say you'd be cute together." With that, the nurse left the room, leaving the tray, shards, and the soggy bread for Tomoe to dispose.

Dr. Tachibana disposed of the nurse's mess, and walked closer to the sleeping doctor.

"I forgot to thank you for that time." She glanced momentarily at a cotton ball taped above her right cubital fossa. "Thank you for saving me, Doctor."

Tomoe looked at the door to make sure it was closed, and moved her face closer to the other doctor's, before leaning forward to kiss his forehead.


End file.
